Actually, I have a BA and an MBA from Rice, so it's more like 6 years--not that it's relevant. I did see the earlier editorial you mention--I thought it added nothing to the debate. It was a rehashing of the synergies argument with no evidence to back up the claims. As for knowing that "everyone's mind is pretty much made up" on this merger, mine wasn't. When the merger talks were announced last year, I was in favor of it (based on what I knew at the time). Over the course of the past year, as BCM's financial problems have been publicly revealed and have worsened, I have changed my mind. I am basing my opinion on observable facts (you can look at both Rice's and BCM's financial statements on line, and BCM's deteriorating credit rating has been reported by Bloomberg). Unlike you, I am not forming an opinion based on the messenger. (By the way, three of the faculty members who signed that editorial came from science and engineering disciplines--not that I think that matters.) Furthermore, I am still willing to change my mind. If someone from the pro-merger side will explain why my concerns over BCM's finances are unwarranted, I will listen. Believe me when I say that I have been waiting for someone to deal with this issue for a while now--but all I hear are more talk about "synergy" and "prestige" and Rice's duty to prop up an important Houston institution, BCM. I have not forgotten Rice president Leebron. On the contrary, I think he is an empire builder who is willing to take excessive risks in exchange for growing Rice. This is demonstrated by his huge construction programs on campus, and especially by the Bioscience Collaborative Research facility. This facility was paid for with debt (an approach I strongly disapprove of) and was intended to be the platform for increased collaborative research with other TMC institutions--indeed, it was meant to obviate the need for a medical school. One can agree with his growth strategy or not. I think Leebron is acting recklessly, as so many corporate CEOs have done in the past. Maybe my publicizing this information won't change anyone's mind. If so, the only time I wasted was my own. I'm sure the internet can handle the "burden"--it seems pretty robust in that regard. But when other people started pointing out BCM's problems, it awakened doubts in my mind. My mind was changed on this issue by new information. Perhaps not everyone's mind is made up, as you claim.